Corbett Signs Bill to Keep NCAA Fines Against Penn State in PA

Gov. Corbett has signed legislation that would require all proceeds from the 60 million dollars in NCAA fines paid by Penn State to be used exclusively in Pennsylvania.

Penn State agreed to pay the fines levied by the NCAA as a result of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case.

Senator John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) says the state is within its rights to require the NCAA to keep the money within the state in part because the university is using some Pennsylvania taxpayer dollars to pay the fine, and in part because the agreement between the NCAA and Penn State doesn't say how the money is to be spent.

“We believe that through the attorneys that there is legal ground for us to stand on to say that that after all is potentially taxpayer money that would be paying back the fine so that the general assembly and the governor would have an ability to weigh in.”

Yudichak has some suggestions on how the money should be used.

“The $60 million in fines should not leave the border of Pennsylvania that that should be set aside for the victims of child abuse here in Pennsylvania so that we can honor and respect the victims of the Sandusky Scandal as well as prevent such child abuse from happening at any place at any time in the future in Pennsylvania.”

Yudichak believes the NCAA overstepped its authority in this case.

“It’s clear in recent days as the Paterno Report came out that the Freeh Report, authored by and sanctioned by the Board of Trustees at Penn State University, is fundamentally flawed and that was the entire basis of the NCAA sanctions.”